1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a support base for household appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers, with an essentially square or quadratic peripheral shape, a support plate with a set-up surface for setting up a household appliance with adjustable feet, with edge strips bent downwards along the 10 edge of the support plate and with support legs rigidly fixed to the corner areas of the support plate projecting downwards, preferably comprised of sheet metal bent along the corner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Household devices of the type described above must be set-up to be vertical to ensure a problem-free operation. In order to level the device, generally adjustable feet designed as threaded feet are provided for compensating for a non-planar floor. The working height of the household device can, however, not be significantly adjusted via these adjustment elements. It can be considered a disadvantage, that the construction height of the conventional household devices is not optimal. This disadvantage can be overcome by utilization of support bases, as known for example from DE-GM 29710601 and 29714220. The known support bases are provided with security pieces for support stability of the household device, which are slideable in diagonally oriented longitudinal holes in the support plate and are fixable thereto. It has been found that during the assembly and set-up of the support base a substantial effort is required for assembly of the securing pieces. The securing pieces must be assembled precisely, in order to prevent the displacement of the household appliance on the support plate.
Beginning herewith it is an object of the invention to improve the support base of the type described above in such a way, that the assembly of the support base and the set-up of the household appliance on the support base is simplified.
A first inventive characteristic of the invention is comprised therein, that the set-up surface of the support plate exhibits a cup-like recess above each respective support leg for receiving respectively one of the foot parts of the household appliance. The cup-like recesses can be stamped or impressed into the support surface. They preferably exhibit a flat base or floor and a cylindrical or conical rim. In each cup-like recess a drainage hole should be provided on the floor thereof, such that any water which may enter at some time in the future may run off.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, two adjacent support legs are joined or connected to each other unitarily along the flank of the corner facing each other, thereby forming an optical shield. In order to compensate for uneven floors, it is preferable that the optical shield is provided such that its lower edge is recessed towards the back with respect to the corner or edges of the foot of the support legs. The support legs are preferably secured, via threaded fasteners, along the upper ends of their corner-forming flanks to respectively two adjacent corner edge strips of the support plate.
According to a preferred or alternative embodiment of the invention, multiple securing means are form-fittingly provided releasably securing and form-fittingly engaging respectively one of the adjustable feet of the household appliance. The securing means are preferably constructed as angle-pieces, with a securing flank which can be screwed onto one of the edge strips of the support plate, and a holding-down flank extending over one of the adjustable feet of the household appliance. The holding-down flank exhibits an edge-open through-hole for receiving one of the adjustment spindles of the adjustable feet. A reliable connection between the support base and the household appliance is achieved, when the through-hole in the holding-down flank is formed as an edge-open longitudinal hole oriented parallel to the corner-edge of the securing means. Preferably, the holding-down flanks are each provided with two edge-open through-holes on opposing sides. The assembly of the securing means is simplified, when the screw holes in the securing flank of the securing means are formed as longitudinal holes running essentially parallel to the corner-edge. Because of the allowable variation occurring during the manufacture of the cup-like recesses and the foot parts, it is advantageous, when the longitudinal holes, in their central area, run diagonal to the corner edge. In this manner one can take advantage of the wedge or shim effect of the diagonal longitudinal holes for supplementally providing a form-fitting connection between the support base and the adjustable feet.
For improving stability, it can, be of advantage when each support leg is provided with a base plate which can be set on the ground and preferably secured thereto, which base plate includes a bent-up edge area, and upon which the support leg can be seated at its foot edge.